What’s your thoughts on killing household bugs?

The good news is that, according to our recent survey of almost 1,500 New Zealanders across the country, an impressive 37% of us are not frightened of any bugs at all. For the remainder (okay, in honesty it’s still the majority) of us, we are very willing (at 37%) to use bug spray pre-emptively in our home to ward off the creepy crawlies.

But then we feel guilty for killing them!

This angst is most pronounced in the younger generations, with 37% of those aged under 30 years feeling guilty when they see insects dead or suffering as a result of being sprayed. This empathy reduces as we get older (after, perhaps, more bites, stings and frights) until by age 60 just 11% of us feel bad about killing bugs.

Invest in insecticides

Our survey, of 1,497 New Zealanders who have purchased and used insecticides in the last six months, shows that 84% of respondents believe they generally work well, although 68% admitted they hate the smell of insecticides in their home.

So what insects do scare us?

While 37% of us claim to not be scared at all (including a whopping 58% of 60 – 69 year olds), some creepy crawlies still do give some of us – well – the creepy crawlies. In terms of which bugs scare us, this is what you told us:

Spiders 40%

Cockroaches 39%

Ants 7%

Moths 9%

With spiders topping the scare list, check out Australian cricket legend Shane Warne’s reaction to a tarantula in this YouTube video!

To our knowledge, all information in articles on the Canstar Blue website was correct at the time of publication. This information may have changed over time. Refer to the product fact sheet (or relevant similar documentation) before making any purchase decision. Canstar Blue's website terms and conditions apply.